Most people consider getting their bodies in better shape. But few people think about growing their intellect. However, a mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Yes, it’s important to keep your body healthy and fit. But put the rest of your available exercise time toward building your intellect!

Try these techniques to build greater intellectual capacity:

1. Read. Reading is great.

You can often find out more about a topic in a few hours of reading than you can in a lifetime of experimenting on your own. There are smart people that write books and condense their knowledge into a few hundred pages for the rest of the world to read.

2. Debate.

Debating with others forces you to consider every perspective and to organize your thoughts. You have to think on your feet and build persuasive arguments. Keep it friendly, though!

3. Develop your memory.

There are plenty of books and other resources on how to enhance your memory. All the knowledge in the world won’t help you if you can’t remember it. You’ll have less trouble finding your car keys, too.

4. Develop your artistic talents.

You can’t just cram a lot of facts into your head. There’s more to your intellectual growth than that. Work on your artistic talents, too.

5. Play a musical instrument.

There’s nothing that serves as a good substitute for music. Pick an instrument that interests you and begin the process of mastering it.

6. Sleep enough and eat well.

Your brain needs sleep and high-quality food. You already know that, but you’re probably not doing it.

7. Spend time with intellectual people.

Your peer group has been shown to affect your finances and career success. It only makes sense that your intellectual growth is impacted by the people you spend the most time with, too. Seek out open minded people with a curiosity of the world.

8. Learn a new language.

This will really give your brain a workout and expose you to new culture, too. Consider the Japanese word “komorebi”. It means “the sunlight that filters through trees”. There isn’t a word in English that comes close. The fact that the Japanese even have a word like “komorebi” tells you something about their culture.

9. Calculate in your head.

Have you noticed that you can’t do calculations in your head as well as you used to? You can reverse that trend right now. Start at 1,743 and count backwards by 6’s. Too easy? Subtract by 27’s

10. Be minimalist.

Too many responsibilities, activities, and possessions create a muddled mind. Cutting back will free up a lot of mental capacity for more meaningful things. Eliminate the non-essential from your life.

11. Follow your enthusiasm.

It’s very challenging to do things that don’t interest you. There are plenty of ways to experience intellectual growth without making yourself miserable. Leverage your interests.

You can continue to grow your intellect long after you’re unable to improve your physical abilities. A strong intellect is more valuable in today’s world. It’s the Bill Gates, Elon Musks, Warren Buffetts, and Jeff Bezos that rule the world, not the winner of the Olympic decathlon. Can you even name the last winner without cheating?

Building your intellect will enrich your life. It’s a never-ending process that you can begin today and reap the benefits from for the rest of your life.